CIA Director John Ratcliffe (CNN)
EA-Ukraine VideoCast: A Message on Ukraine’s Independence Day
UPDATE, AUG 28:
EA’s Cormac Smith speaks with Azerbaijan’s ANews about the multiple dimensions of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow — cautioning Vladimir Putin that his invasion of Ukraine is failing and warning the Kremlin not to expand its hybrid warfare across Europe.
UPDATE 1625 GMT:
I joined TVP World’s Sascha Fahrbach for a 14-minute analysis of CIA Director John Ratcliffe’s visit to Moscow.
I knock back Donald Trump’s bluster that the trip was “semi-routine” and evaluate the prospect that Ratcliffe warned the Kremlin against expansion of hybrid warfare across Europe.
I consider whether Ratcliffe’s warning will have any effect on Vladimir Putin and his advisors. I explain that the timing is likely because of tension with the Trump Administration, with responsible officials trying to ensure that the US is behind European and Ukrainian security.
I analyze the latest Ukrainian counter-attacks inside Russia and whether it has any bearing on Radcliffe’s mission.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: I joined DW News on Wednesday to examine what we know and don’t know about the sudden visit of CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow the previous day.
Very little has been said publicly about the trip and discussions with Russian officials. However, I note the leaks by US officials to the media that Ratcliffe cautioned the Kremlin about Russia’s hybrid warfare across Europe.
I set that in the context of the US intelligence community telling outlets of its assessment of the threat. That is an indication of parts of the Trump Administration maintaining support for European and Ukrainian security, despite the chaos of Donald Trump, the pro-Kremlin stance of his envoy Steve Witkoff, and the hostility of Vice President J.D. Vance.
